Finds of the Week #59: The Mother Lode

Now Marilyn may have sung that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but I’m a simple girl and I’ll take patina over karats any day of the week.

Silver is a most definitely this girl’s best friend… real or plated, doesn’t matter to me. It’s all good. 🙂

Sometimes I’ll shine it up like my silver tray clock, but most of the time I’ll keep a patina just the way I find it. There’s no real rhyme or reason to that. It’s just a piece by piece, project by project, decision that I make with my gut.

and maybe even a few new repurposing ideas. The middle one is my favourite of all of them… the patina is just incredible.

I got all of the trays and platters at the same thrift store for 50 cents to $1 each.

I’ve been collecting pot lids of all kinds for some future projects. This silver plated one has a lovely soft patina.

If you’re a regular reader you know that I have a rather unexplained fascination with goblets of any kind, but especially silver, and I have quite a collection... which apparently is still growing.

A few years ago I used some in this silver goblet wind chime, and I have to admit I’ve been itching to give that another go.

But probably not with these two because they have engraving on them. I love that, and there might be someone out there who will want these as a keepsake.

In my research I found out that U.A. stands for United Association. It’s a North American union for journeyman and pipe fitters, and the Local 527 is the Kitchener/Waterloo branch, which is an hour and a bit from here.

I can never have enough silverware for making my wind chimes. Sometimes I can go for months without seeing any so I have to pick it up whenever I see it.

Altogether I paid $6 for the above, there are some matching pieces and some odds and sods.

Here’s some I found at the local flea market. The two vintage butter knives and the makeup brush were $1 each. That’s a little pricey for me, but I thought they were interesting.

I don’t see butter knives with pretty decorative handles too often around here and I like to use them in some of my wind chimes.

This vintage lot of Ontario 4-H Homemaking Club teaspoons was $2. I found 2 more of the spoons on the left, which are marked Community, in my stash so I now have 8. The two on the right are marked Heritage.

The 4-H club is a youth development program run by adult volunteers. They have a wonderful pledge that is said at the beginning of every 4-H meeting and event: “I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, my Health to better living for my club, my community and my country.”

Isn’t that a fabulous pledge?

If these polish up nice I’ll probably see if they sell in my etsy shop. There might be a fellow Ontarion out there who collects 4-H stuff.

If they don’t polish up pretty I’ll use them in a wind chime project. Surprise, surprise. 🙂

Or because they’re a little smaller than the average teaspoon they might make lovely spoon flowers. I’ll have to wait and see what their fate will be.

And last and certainly not least I found this sweet little sugar bowl at a garage sale for 25 cents. It was the only thing I bought. I’m not sure if it’s silver or silver plate.

It was its teeniness that got me. It’s only 1 3/4″ tall.

My research tells me that the Made in Occupied Japan mark dates it to between 1945 and 1952. I’m not sure what the bird with the T means. Anyone know?

I haven’t decided yet if I’ll try to polish it or not. It’s in pretty rough shape patina-wise, but I thought somebody should love it… so I guess it’s going to be me. 🙂

Have any of you hit a mother lode lately?

Thanks so much for reading and until next time…

keep on keepin’ on!

XOX

I sometimes share my projects and posts at these fabulous parties listed here.

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Comments

So love hearing about your finds and projects! I too love the silver and like a crow am drawn to the shine! I have a collection of pieces as well and can’t resist picking up new pieces when I see them. Have made some wind chimes for the garden and so enjoyed making them. Shame you are so far away…would love to see your stash.
Heather

Thanks Heather! I think it must be the shine for me too. Even when it’s tarnished it’s still shiny. I love storing my stash of silver trays as a window valance because it’s ever changing as I use pieces and add new thrifted ones.

Yep, you sure did hit the mother lode! What a fabulous haul! I rarely see any silver or silver plated items in thrift stores around here. Once I asked about them and got a vague answer. I think the folks who are in the business of reselling scoop them up first early in the day before the public have a chance. Anyway, you have a good stash to make lots and lots of beautiful wind chimes and the like!

Thanks Gail! Silver and silver plate pieces are not very valued around here. I seem to be the only one around here buying them. I left behind a few pieces that I didn’t really care for, and I bet they’re still at that same thrift store there this weekend. If they are I just might change my mind and bring them home this time.

I never thought of that Lori. I suppose it could be. Silver and silver plate pieces are more expensive in the city thrift stores here too. I’m lucky to be living in the country boonies where my little thrift stores still have great deals.

Wow you hit the silver treasure chest! Silverplate is getting harder and harder to score at an affordable price in my neck of the woods, seems all the thrifts and sellers are onto us repurpose junkies round here,…. nice haul!

Thankfully it’s not like that here yet. Lucky for me. When they have it silver pieces are still cheap here. Although I am a regular at my local thrift stores they don’t seem to care what I buy. They just want to sell stuff ASAP so they can bring in more stuff. They’re small stores and need to move things quickly, and there’s new stuff on the shelves every day.

First nice finds! I’m jealous! Second, from the stash of tchotchkes that I received from my gramma, I’m not sure but I was told that anything marked made in occupied Japan was specifically sold to American GIs to send back home and that’s why you’ll see a lot of those markings that can actually be traced back to someone that was serving in Japan during those times ! That’s what I was told I’m not sure if that is true or not but it made sense to me

You really did hit the mother lode this week! You know, I clicked back on the ‘goblet windchime’ link and sure enough, I had posted a reply! Three years I’ve been stalking you! I’ve learned so much from you, I guess I’ll stick around another 3! Dona

Thanks Tina! It’s the first one I’ve seen too so I sprang for the whole dollar. In the store that sounded like a lot to me, but now… not so much. No wonder I’m shocked whenever I go to thrift stores in the city.

You did find quite a haul of silver. I find it hard to resist when I find it at a good price which is getting harder to do around here. Prices in general in the thrift stores around me are on the upward trend. I see a lot of repurposing in your haul.

Thanks Sharon! I hear that often from other bloggers about thrift store prices going up. Hopefully I’m far enough away from the cities that it won’t start happening here. Whenever I go to a large thrift store in a city I’m usually quite shocked at the prices and don’t buy much. I find small town stores are much better.

Thanks Liz! I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes we go up to Owen Sound and the Value Village there is pretty pricey. I don’t tend to get too much but every now and then I find something. The small town thrift stores are the best source for me.

Wow, you did good on adding to the collections! I see millions of projects ahead for you! As soon as I said in a recent post that there wasn’t any good vintage Fall décor out there, that’s all I have been finding. I have been hitting the mother lode every time I go out now. Lot’s of Barn Sales around here. Now to get this stuff sold!

I see a million projects too. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. lol. I rarely see cool vintage fall stuff around here. I’m now waiting for the Christmas stuff to start coming out. I have a bunch of stuff to list that I found last year. Barn sales sound like so much fun. Even though we live in farming country they don’t happen around here.

You hit the silver jackpot Tuula! I don’t see too much silver around here either, & certainly not much of it ornate. I kind of like seeing patina too. Since I don’t have much repurposing talent, I tend to polish & sell on Etsy. Trays do well for me. Other items…not so much. I’ve never seen a silver makeup brush…pretty cool.

Thanks Florence! This is the first silver makeup brush I’ve ever seen. I just might have to keep it myself. I often think I’m going to sell some of my silver pieces in my etsy shop, but they seldom make it there because I change my mind.

I hit a huge mother lode for my altered art work. A monsterous moving box, full of vacuum tubes (389+) for only $10! I usually see them for rock bottom at $1 each. I almost cried – okay I DID cry but only after I got back to the car. Didn’t want the flea market vendor to wonder who the idiot woman was.

I just saw 5 bags of silver stuff at the thrift store and stood and stared at them, trying to come up with a reason to buy them. I didn’t because I don’t know if they would sell well thru my etsy shop. Maybe I need to research some projects to make with them. Your chimes are so cute but I don’t have that talent.

Welcome

Hey there, I’m Tuula and I hope I can inspire you to create a home that smiles. I’m a repurposing, reusing, redecorating, redoing, rethinking and DIYing kinda gal who loves to share budget-friendly projects for the home and garden. I’ve always rebelled against the idea that it takes a lot of money to create a home that you love, that expresses you and your own unique sense of style. Your home doesn’t have to be magazine-worthy to be amazing, but it does have to be you-worthy. And it can be! Read more here.